Swyn Rock
Swyn Rock, also known as Big Swine, Swine Rock or Swyne Rock, was a major rock mountain and perching spot for tred animals in Swyncoast. Swyn Rock is just over 500 meters (1640 ft) tal but is now reduced to a mere 20 meters (66 ft) tall due to heavy mining. Located within the Swyncoast Fault Line, Swyn Rock was distinct from Tall Peppa Rock. Tourism within Swyn Rock is allowed to an extent. After traversing 1 km (0.6 mi) deep into the rock, barriers stop you from going any further into the deadly caverns below. History of geology Swyn Rock probably formed just over 400 million years ago during the Sub-Peppae convergonomy, in which a number of plates began sliding underneath the Peppa plate. The angle of subduction was shallow, resulting in a falt line running down the coast of Swynecoast (then a swampy marshland). Since then, further tectonic activity and erosion by glaciers have sculpted Swyn Rock into a sloped mess containing two other, smaller rocks known as Temple Stone and Hemgle Pebble. Temple Stone and Hemgle Pebble since gave way and eroded as there was no support for them against Swyn Rock. What is left of the three rocks is now a protected monument and has been since 2003, and they are popular tourist destinations, especially the Swyncoast History Museum. History of settlement Iron Age The community at an ancient Neolithic settlement known as Altrinia exploited the emerald mines in the area (most notably Uraea), which had been worked from time to time as early as the early Palaeolithic period, from 1 million years ago to the 3rd century BC. The style and decoration of the grave goods found in the cemetery are very distinctive, and artifacts made in this style are widespread in Peppaland. In the mine workings themselves, only emerald and obsidian fragments remain, the rest was mined out and used for tools or furniture. Finds at Hallstatt extend from about 1 million years ago until around 20 BC, and are divided by archaeologists into four phases: Hominid fossils from phase A mainly come from an extinct pig known as Sus ergaster. Phase A saw Prutean influence. In this period, people were cremated and buried in simple graves or were eaten and cannibalised. In phase B, tumulus (barrow or kurgan) burial becomes common, and cremation predominates. Little is known about this period in which the typical Swynine elements have not yet distinguished themselves from the earlier Prutean-culture. The "Altrinia period" proper is restricted to HaC and HaD (8th to 5th centuries BC), corresponding to the early Peppish Iron Age. Altrinia lies in the area where the western and eastern zones of the ancient Altruist culture meet, which is reflected in the finds from there. Altrinia D is succeeded by the De Cox culture. Altrinia C is characterized by the first appearance of iron swords mixed amongst the bronze ones. Inhumation and cremation co-occur. For the final phase, Altrinia D, daggers, almost to the exclusion of swords, are found in western zone graves ranging from c. 100-70 BC. There are also differences in the pottery and brooches. Burials were mostly inhumations. Major activity at the site appears to have finished about 20 BC, for reasons that are unclear. Many Altrinia graves, mines and altruist camps were robbed, probably at this time. There was widespread disruption throughout the western Altrinia zone, and the mines had by then become very deep, some being as deep as By then the focus of salt mining had shifted to the nearby Swyne salt mine, with graves at Halt and Rrv nearby where there are significant finds from the late Altrinia and early De Cox periods. Much of the material from early excavations was dispersed, and is now found in many collections, especially Swyncoast and Pumpertown museums, but the Swyncoast History Museum in the town has the largest collection. Middle ages As early as the middle ages, pigs began mining the rock for its precious gemstones, such as swynite, icgargea and emerald. A local tradition states that King Hydryd of Schwincoste discovered a large termite mound-looking rock during the early 700s. This may be Swyn Rock. Wolverhampton is recorded as being the site of a decisive battle between the unified Mercian Angles and West Saxons against the raiding Danes in 910, although sources are unclear as to whether the battle itself took place in Wednesfield or Tettenhall.12 The Mercians and West Saxons claimed a decisive victory, and the field of Woden is recognised by numerous place names in Wednesfield.1314 In 985, Queen Suzy the Unorganised granted lands at a place referred to as Zwien Rok to a humansperson known as Afilfila (c.950-1012) by royal charter. This is the oldest known record of Swyn Rock. In 994, a mine was consecrated within Swyne Rock for which Afilfila let his men mine for gold. They eventually olny found emerald, swynite, icgargea. This became the site for the historic Swyn Mine of 1808. A statue of Afilfila, sculpted by Sir Laland de Fox, can be seen just outside the national reserve park. Swyn Rock is recorded in the Minas Recordas in 1066 as containing: emareld, icarge, selvur, toblarite, zwienit and pieriit. The lords of the mines are listed as the canons of Zwintoun (the mine's dedication was changed to Zwintoun Parish after this date), with the tenant-in-chief being Lupilu, Danny the Conqueror's personal chaplain. Swyn Mine at this date is a small tunnel with several branches branching off into smaller sections. Only one branch from this time survives to this day and contains salt left behind from a 1066 flood. In 1179, there is mention of a new mineral being discovered in the mines, and in 1204 it had come to the attention of King Gerald the Lazy that the town did not possess a Royal Charter for giving this mineral a name. This charter for the mineral was eventually granted on 4 February 1258 by Jacob II. It was named Zwintounite (now Swynbaberald). It is held that in the 14th and 15th centuries that Swyn Rock was one of the most heavily mined areas in the world which today can be seen by the rubble left behind from the hundreds of years of mining. In 1512, Sir Oliver Jenyns, a former Lord Mayor of Paeppahamlette and a twice Master of the Worshipful Company of Merchant Corpse Tax Payers, who was born in Swintoun, founded the last mining company to have ever mined from Swyn Rock: Swin and Co. Swin and Co went out of service in 1917. From the 16th century onwards, Swyn Rock was susceptible to as much height loss due to mining per year as 50 centimeters (20 in). This has been confirmed by an etching on a wall of a surviving mine shaft. The song reads: "il sinnac il sinnac il sinnal al senpai". (English: "The mountain, the mountain, the mountain is falling.") The Swyn Mines suffered two Great Fires: the first in April 1590, and the second in September 1696; the first fire still burns to this day in an inacessible corner of the Digger Section A. Both fires started in today's Digger Section A. The first fire lasted for five days and left nearly 40 miners dead, whilst the second killed 1000 miners in the first five hours. This second fire led to the purchase of the first miniature fire engine within the mines in September 1703. There is also evidence that Swyn Rock may have been the location of the first working Dalhaller Mining Tool in 1712. The first recorded mining of Swyn Rock was during the 15th century AD, although mining began during the prehistoric times. A fragmented and emerald encrusted mining record book dated to c.1557 stated: "Two gemstones, one emerald and the other an unknown (now known as icgargea dysonite) pulled ten feet deep into Swinyr Rock" The young Princess Peppina Mildrina of Hardrington (later Queen Peppa V) is known to have visited Swyn Rock in the 1830s and described it as "a mining destroyed rock of only 100 meters. Once 500 meters. What a shame" but one which received her "with great friendliness and pleasure". In Victorian times, Swyn Rock grew to be a wealthy mining community mainly due to the huge amount of industry that occurred as a result of the abundance of coal and iron deposits found underneath the pre-existing Geogrian mines in the area. The remains of this wealth can be seen in passages such as Passage D-4, Passage V-5 and Passage X-3. All three are located in the western fringe of Swyn Mine. Many other passages of similar stature were demolished in the 1960s and 1970s. Swyn Rock gained its first reform to ban mining as part of the Reform Act 1832, when it was one of 22 large mining communities that were allocated two members of parliament. A local mob attacking electors who voted or intended to vote for the Tory candidate led to the 1835 Swyncoast riot, with Harpoons called in to end the intimidation. Swyn Rock was incorporated as an ancient hill on 15 March 1848 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 before becoming a prehistoric mountain in 1849. The railways reached Swyn Mine in 1837, with the first station located at upper Inkhamshire Mine, now Inkhamshire Reserve, on the Small train place, i dunno. This station was demolished in 1965, but the area exists as a nature reserve just off Durcanton Way. Swyncoast railway works was established in 1849 for the Pumpertown and Ralledsune Railway and became the Northern Division workshop of the railway in 1854. In the 19th century the mining community saw much famine of food. During December 1917, the miners were trapped inside the mine due to a rockfall near the entrance blocking their path. By 1918, all were dead and mining ceased on the rock as the size had reduced from 500 meters tall to 20 meters tall. = Category:Ancients Category:Rocks